Charging apparatus for horizontal coke ovens



Dec. 23, 1958 P. J. HoMAN CHARGING APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL COKE OVENS Filed June 20, 1956 INVENTOR. PAUL, J. Hormqm/ Dec. 23, 1958 P. J. HOMAN OHARGINO APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL COKE OvENs Filed June 20, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. PHL/1.. HcymqA/ l BY JRS

@COMM United States Patent CHARGIN G APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL COKE OVENS Paul .1. Homan, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Koppers Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware 'Application June 20, 1956, Serial No. 592,562

13 Claims. (Cl. 214-21) The present invention relates in general to improvements in the charging operation of horizontal coke ovens and more particularly to a different and distinct arrangement of different parts for top charging the coking chambers of a horizontal coke oven battery whereby to eliminate the need for the customary heavy larry car traveling back and forth across the top of the battery between the tops of the oven chambers to be charged with coal and the conventional coal -bin at one end of the battery at a h igher level than the top of the battery, and is a contlnuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 341,905, now Patent No. 2,754,981 of July 17, 1956, and also a successive oontinuation-in-part of the invention of my application Serial No. 385,113, now Patent No. 2,724,514 of 1955, through said Patent No. 2,754,981.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an arrangement for charging said ovens through the usual charging holes in the oven roof but with feed of the coal to said top charging holes from the side of the battery thereby retaining all the advantages of such top charging while eliminating the disadvantages incident thereto and inherent in coke ovens as heretoforedevised for such top charging.

With top charging of said ovens with coal from a bin located at one end of the battery it has been necessary to have the bin disposed at a higher level than the top of the battery to permit the usual larry cars to run under the bins at the same level as the battery top, for shuttling of the cars between the bin and the tops of the oven cham,- bers in top charging the same.

v This necessitates a very expensive construction of both the bins and the oven battery, since the structure involved for supporting the entire supply of coal for a battery of ovens at an elevation higher than the tops of the battery is very costly, and each part of the coke oven battery must be built to support the entire weight of a full oven charge of coal as the larry shuttles back and forth over the battery top between the coal bin and the many oven chambers in successively charging them sequentially.

In addition this conventional arrangement of parts for top charging horizontal coke ovens does not lend itself to charging the ovens with'preheated coal, since such coal is preheated only to a maximum below about 580 C. to avoid softening of the coal, and it is not feasible either to store coal at such a low maximum temperature in bins of a bulk content equal to the entire charge for a battery of ovens, or to maintain the coal at the requisite preheat ICC lower portion of the hoppers closed, the discharge chutes are opened and a quantity of coal is allowed to fall and collect in the hoppers. When the hoppers are loaded, the car is moved back along the rails to a coking chamber selected to be charged. The hoppers are aligned with the charging holes of the selected coking chamber, opened, and coal is discharged into the chamber. The larry car is then returned to the storage 4bin for a new load and brought back to the next chamber to be charged in sequence.

When the carbonization of an oven is finished the doors at both ends of the chamber are removed and a pusher ram is introduced into the chamber from one end and the coke cake is pushed out at the other end of the chamber. The pusher rarn is carried on a pusher machine which operates on rails along the pusher face of the battery. The pusher ram is movable on the pusher machine so as to be movable into and out of the oven chambers.

With this known arrangement of charging and pushing, two operators are essential, one on top of the battery responsible for the charging and another on the pusher side of the battery for operation of the pusher machine.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a novel arrangement of different parts for combiningthe functions of the customary coal charging larry car and the pusher machine. Advantage of this arrangement is that the coal for the top charging holes is fed from ground level at the side of the battery. The need for a heavy larry car travelling back and forth across the top of the battery between an overhead bin at one end of the top of the battery and the ovens to be charged is eliminated. The oven structure can be more lightly designed and constructed since the weight to be supported on the top of the battery will be only a fraction of the weight of the loaded normal larry car, and the vibration imparted to the coke oven battery by such a car is eliminated. The operator responsible for the charging operation performs such operation from the pusher machine, thus eliminating one operation from the battery top.

The charging arrangement of the present invention, reduces the charging time, permits closer charging control of the battery as a Whole, and lends itself especially to feed of preheated coal as aforesaid without the disadvantages that attain with use of top larry cars and use of the overhead bin as heretofore proposed in this art.

In addition to the general objects recited above, the invention has for further objects such other improvements and advantages as may be found to obtain in arrangement of different parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view partly in transverse vertical crosssection and partly in elevation, of a by-product horizontal coke oven battery with a novel arrangement of parts for combined pushing and charging in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line III-III of Fig. l, vparts being omitted for better illustration;

Figure 4 is a similar view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. l;

Figure 5 is a similar view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 1. l.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a coke oven battery 8 which includes a series of alternate heating walls 9 and horizontal coking chambers 10 through'one of which the sectional view is taken. The coking chamber has a sole or floor 11, and a roof 12 through which eX- tends the usual offtake opening 14 that is connected by an ascension pipe 15 with the collecting main 16. Each oven chamber is surrounded at each end4 4by a metallic door frame that isvclosed by a removable door 17.V vThe oven chamber is shown in Fig. 1 with a coal charge being tilled into the same.

A coke guide 18 is carried by a car which is operated on rails paralleling the right hand or coke side of the battery and serves to guide the coke cake as it leaves the oven chamber. The coke guide 18 also serves to carry the coke cake from an oven chamber across the bench 19 at the coke side of the battery so that the coke passing through the guide falls into a quenching car 13.

The coke cake is pushed from the oven chamber by means of a pusher ram 22 carried by a pusher machine which is indicated generally by the numeral 20 and operates on rails 21 paralleling the left hand or pusher side of the battery. The pusher machine is constructed of heavy steel shapes and plates welded or riveted together. The pusher machine is electrically propelled on the rails on which it operates, and in addition to the pusher ram, the pusher machine may carry equipment for removing and replacing the coke-oven doors on the adjacent face of the oven battery and usually also carries a levelling bar 23 for levelling the newly charged coal inthe oven chambers. Except as hereinafter explained in detail, the construction and operation of the pusher machine may be the same as the machines now in general use. a

As shown each coking chamber of the battery 1s provided with a plurality of spaced top charging holes 24 through which the coal to be coked is introduced into the chamber 10 sequentially, and the pusher side doors 17 are provided with leveler doors 25 for entrance and withdrawal of the leveler bar 23 from the pusher machine carriage 2t).

Positioned alongside the tracks 21 for the pusher machine 29 is a series of relatively small coal bunkers 26 extending the full length of the battery individualized to the respective oven chambers and provided with a discharge chute 27 opposite each oven chamber 113. These bunkers 26 are mounted on standards 28 seated at ground level 29 so that the discharge chutes 27 are as low as the soles 11 of the oven chambers 10. At their upper ends the bins 1G are at the low level of the tops of the usual gas collecting main 16 for the battery and are fed with preheated coal by an endless conveyor system 30.

A Hapman type conveyor` system 31 is mounted on the pusher machine 2i) for conveying coal from the individual bunkers 26 to their respective oven chambers. Said system comprises an endless conveyor with a lower vertical Hight portion 32, with a part 33 at a level below the pusher ram 22, to receive coal from the individual discharge chutes 27 at a level 'below the bottoms of the oven chambers, and an upper part 34 to transfer the coal to an upper lateral ight portion 35 at a level above the leveler bar 23 and the tops 36 of the chambers 10. The upper lateral fiight portion 35 extends across the pusher machine up and over the pusher side 37 of the battery. The upper lateral portion 35 includes a lower discharge llight section 38 and an upper return flight section 39 directly over the battery roof in position parallel with each of said oven chambers 10. From the discharge section 38 separate branch conduits 40 extend at spaced points therealong in correspondence with the spacing of the top charging holes 24 for feeding coal from the discharge section 38 of the flight conveyor, each to one of the charging holes 24 of an individual one of the oven chambers 10.

The ight sections of the conveyor 31 are all supported for movement as a unit with the pusher machine 20 by means of standards 41 and cross braces 42. The discharge ight section 38 is provided with a pair of wheels 43 at a single point 44 to run on a single rail 45 on top of the battery.

Preferably the conveyor system is of the Hapman type comprising an endless closed conduit with an internal chain of links 46 provided with transverse disks or ights 47. The vertical flight portion 32 discharges as at 48 through a lower opening to an upper opening in the lower pass of the lateral upper branch 31 and is driven by a motor 49 through gearing 50. The upper lateral portion 31 is likewise driven by a motor 51 through gearing 52, as is also the pusher ram 22 which is provided with a motor 53 and gearing 54 for the purpose. The leveler bar 23 is reciprocated by means of a motor 55 through a rope drive 56. Each of the branch conduits lill is provided with as crew conveyor 57 driven by a motor 58 and discharges through a drop sleeve 59 to the charging holes 24 in the oven roof 12.

A coal spillage chute 60 is also provided as conventional with these pusher machines. However in accordance with the present invention, this chute 60 discharges into a continuous spillage trough 61 mounted on the pusher side bench supports 62, which trough 61, is provided with a Hapman type conveyor 63 for conveying this spillage to the coal bunkers 26 at the end of the battery, thereby eliminating the usual coal spillage hopper on the pusher machine and the spillage pit and elevator as normally provided at the end of the battery.

In operation the combined pusher and charger carriage 20 is run into position at the proper oven 10 of the sequence to be pushed and recharged, and spotted opposite the pusher side doors 17. Thereupon the doors are removed and with the ram 22 in alignment with the oven chamber, the ram 22 is advanced to push the finished coke cake out of the oven. Thereafter the ram is retracted and the doors 17 are replaced. Whereupon with the pusher machine 20 in position for the receiving chute 64 to receive coal from the discharge chute 27 for the bunker 26 of the oven 10 to be recharged, at which time the discharge flight section 3S is in position for discharge to said oven with its drop sleeves 59 over the top charging holes 24 of the oven to be recharged.

Coal then passes from chute 64 to the vertical ilight portion 32 and thence by way of the lateral portion 31 to said drop sleeves 59, and tinally through the top charging holes .24 into the oven chamber 10 in amount to fill the oven up to the leveled height of the bottom of the leveler doors 25.

During such charging operation the leveler bar 23 is reciprocated to level the coal charge to the level of the bottom of these doors 25. For this purpose, the leveler bar 23 is located on the pusher machine carriage 20 so as to be in position for such leveling simultaneously during the receiving of coal from the bunkers by the chute and the discharge of coal therefrom into the oven by the branch conduits 40.

Thereafter, the leveler bar 23 is re'n'acted, the charging holes 24 reclosed, and the carriage 20 of the pusher maichine propelled along the rails 21 to the next oven 10 1n `the sequence to be pushed and recharged. During this movement the entire Hapman conveyor system 31, 32 moves as a unitary whole along the battery with the pusher machine 20.

The invention as hereinabove set forth is embodied in a particular form of construction but may be variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An arrangement of apparatus for charging of coal to be coked from one side of the battery downwardly through the roof of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof each having top charging holes spaced along the same in the battery roof, and chamber doors at opposite horizontal ends of the chamber, comprising; a carriage movable relative to said battery along the front face thereof from chamber to chamber at ground level below said chambers, a conveyor system comprising means for continuous movement of coal mounted for movement as a unit with said carriage relative to said battery and constituted of a lower vertical ight portion arranged to elevate coal from a lower portion below the bottoms of said chambers to an upper elevation above the tops of the cham bers and an upper lateral means portion extending 1aterally from said upper elevation across the carriage and over the top of the side of the battery, said upper lateral means portion including a discharge flight section movable as a unit with said carriage relative to said battery directly over the battery roof in position to parallel each of said oven chambers, means on the battery roof for supporting the discharge section of said upper lateral means portion for movement on the battery roof along the same as a unit with the aforesaid carriage during movement of the latter from chamber to chamber, and branch conduits extending from said discharge ight section for feeding coal therefrom to each charging hole of an oven chamber, and means for supply of coal into said lower vertical ight portion.

2. An arrangement of apparatus for charging of coal to be coked from one side of the battery downwardly through top charging holes in the roof of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof as claimed in claim l and in which said conveyor system comprises a conduit system interconnected for continuous movement of coal through the conduit system.

3. An arrangement of apparatus for charging of coal to be coked from one side of the battery downwardly through top charging holes in the roof of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof as claimed in claim l and in which the conveyor system comprises an endless conveyor system having an endless conduit with a continuous internal chain of spaced discs interconnected for continuous movement through the endless conduit, and with said upper lateral portion of said conveyor system including a return flight section directly over the battery roof in position to parallel each of said oven chambers.

4. An arrangement of apparatus for combined pushing of coke horizontally out, and charging of coal to be coked downwardly through the roof of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof each having top charging holes spaced along the same in the battery roof, and chamber doors at opposite horizontal ends of the chamber, comprising; a pusher ram carriage movable relative to said battery along the front face thereof from chamber to chamber at ground level below the bottoms of said chambers and having a pusher ram mounted for reciprocation on said pusher ram carriage in position at an elevation for reciprocation of the same into and out of each said chamber for pushing the cakes of coke out of the opposite doorways of said chambers, a conveyor system comprising means for continuous movement of coal mounted for movement as a unit with said pusher ram carriage relative to said battery and constituted of a lower vertical ight portion arranged to elevate coal from a lower position below the upper part of the pusher ram to an upper elevation above the same and an upper lateral means portion extending laterally from said upper elevation across the pusher ram carriage and over the top of the pusher side of the battery, said upper lateral means portion including a discharge ight section movable as a unit with said pusher ram carriage relative to said battery directly over the battery roof in position to parallel each of said oven chambers, means on the battery .roof for supporting the discharge flight section of said upper lateral means portion for movement on the battery roof along the same as a unit with the aforesaid pusher ram carriage during movement of the latter from chamber to chamber, branch conduits extending from said discharge flight section for feeding coal therefrom to each charging hole of an oven chamber, and means for supply of coal into said lower vertical ilight portion of said conveyor system.

5. An arrangement of apparatus for combined pushing of coke horizontally out, and charging of coal to be coked downwardlythrough top charging holes in the roof of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof as claimed in claim 4,

and in-which said conveyor system comprises a conduit system interconnected for continuous movementof coal through the conduit system.

6. An arrangement of apparatus for combined pushing of coke horizontally out, and charging of coal to be coked downwardly through top charging holes in the roof of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof as claimed in claim 4 and in which the conveyor system comprises an endless conveyor system having an endless conduit with a continuous internal chain of spaced discs interconnected for continuous movement through the endless conduit, with said upper lateral portion including a return flight section directly over the battery roof in position to parallel each of said oven chambers.

7. An arrangement apparatus for combined pushing of coke horizontally out, and charging of coal to be coked downwardly through the roof of any one of a series-of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof and each having top charging holes spaced along the same in the battery roof, and chamber doors at opposite horizontal ends of the chamber, comprising; a series of coal bunkers extending the full length of the battery with an individual discharge chute for each oven chamber opposite each of said oven chambers, a pusher ram carriage movable relative to said battery along the front face thereof from chamber to chamber at ground level below the bottoms of said chamber between the same and said series of coal bunkers and having a pusher ram mounted for recprocation on said pusher ram carriage in position at an elevation for reciprocation of the same into and out of each of said chambers for pushing the cakes of coke out of the opposite doorways of said chambers, a conveyor system comprising means for continuous movement of coal mounted for movement as a unit with said carriage relative to said battery and constituted of a lower vertical flight portion arranged to elevate coal from a lower position below the upper part of the pusher ram to an upper elevation above the same, and an upper lateral means portion extending laterally from said upper elevation across the pusher ram carriage and over the top of the pusher side of the battery, said upper lateral means portion including a discharge flight section movable as a unit with said pusher ram carriage relative to said battery directly over the battery roof in position to parallel each of said oven chambers, means on the battery roof for supporting the discharge section of said upper lateral means portion on the battery roof for movement of said sections along the roof as a unit with the aforesaid pusher ram carriage during movement of the latter from chamber to chamber, branch conduits extending from said discharge flight section for feeding coal therefrom to each charging hole of an oven chamber, and means for individually communicably connecting said lower vertical portion of the conveyor system with the discharge chutes from the bunkers for the individual chambers when said pusher ram carriage is in alignment with the respective oven chambers.

8. An arrangement of apparatus for combined pushing of coke horizontally out, and charging of coal to be coked downwardly through top charging holes in the vroof of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof as claimed in claim 7, and in Which the conveyor system comprises a conduit system interconnected for continuous movement of coal through the conduit.

9. An arrangement of apparatus for combined pushing of coke horizontally out, and charging of coal to be coked downwardly through top charging holes in the roof, of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof as claimed in claim 7, and in which the conveyor system comprises an endless conveyor system having an endless conduit with a continuous internal chain of spaced discs interconnected for continuous movement of coal through the endless conduit, and with said upper lateral portion of the conveyor system including a return flight section directly over the battery roof in position to parallel each of said oven chambers.

10. An arrangement of apparatus for combined pushing of coke horizontally out, charging of coal to be coked downwardly through top charging holes in the roof, and levelling the so charged coal horizontally, of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof as claimed in claim 7, and which includes a leveler bar door located at a top portion of each chamber door at the pusher side of the battery, a leveler bar mounted for reciprocation on said pusher ram carriage at an elevation in position below the upper lateral means portion of the conveyor system for reciprocation into and out of each chamber through its said leveler bar door for levelling the top of coal charges therein and movable as a unit with the pusher ram carriage during movement of the latter from chamber to chamber, for simultaneous levelling during feeding coal from lthe discharge llight section to each charging hole of an oven chamber while said leveler bar is in position for simultaneously levelling the same,

l1. An arrangement of apparatus for'combined pushing of coke horizontally out, charging of coal to be coked downwardly through top charging holes in the roof, and levelling the so charged coal horizontally, of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof as claimed in claim 10, and in which the conveyor system comprises a conduit system interconnected for continuous movement of coal through the conduit.

12. An arrangement of apparatus for combined pushing of coke horizontally out, charging of coal to be coked downwardly through top charging holes in the roof, and levelling the so charged coal horizontally, of any one of a series of coke oven chambers in a parallel arranged battery thereof as claimed in claim 11, and in which the conveyor system comprises an endless conveyor system having an endless conduit with a continuous internal chain of spaced discs interconnected for continuous movement through the endless conduit and with said upper lateral portion of said conveyor system including a return flight section directly over the battery roof in position to parallel each of said oven chambers.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim l0, and which includes a spillage chute carried by the pusher machine carriage in position to receive coal from the leveler doors of the Coking chambers during withdrawal of the leveler bar from the same during levelling, a spillage trough extending longitudinally of the pusher side of the battery in fixed position thereon to receive coal from said spillage chute, a continuous chain disc conveyor in said trough for moving coal therein to one end of said battery, and an endless chain disc conveyor for return of coal from the trough at said end of the battery to said series of bunkers.

Walker Mar. 20, 1923 Homan July 17, 1956 

